


You Can't Take The Sky

by BillieJoeArmstrong



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Firefly Setting, Alternate Universe - Space, Alternate Universe - Western, M/M, POV Outsider, firefly - Freeform, that's right folks... theyre space cowboys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-17
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-30 13:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17829809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BillieJoeArmstrong/pseuds/BillieJoeArmstrong
Summary: The long-awaited Malex firefly AU I promised some people I'd write.(It's not necessary to have seen Firefly to read this!!)





	1. Max's POV

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter beta'd by the lovely @BeStillMySlashyHeart

Captain Max Evans loved his ragtag crew of rebels, misfits and deviants aboard the Serenity. When he woke up in the morning they were the first thing he thought about and he couldn’t sleep at night until he knew they were all safe and healthy. If it weren’t for them, Max would have turned himself into the Alliance long ago. As it is, the Serenity crew gave Max something to keep fighting for. They were family – even Kyle, though Max would never admit to that – it wasn’t just responsibility or duty that kept Max dedicated to them. It was love, trust, necessity. Without his crew, Max didn’t think he could _be_ anymore.

 

When Max bought Serenity, he and his sister Isobel were desperate. Runaway browncoats doing anything they could to escape the grips of the Alliance. So they purchased a clanky, old firefly-class spaceship with all the savings they had left. With no plans for what came next, just a burning need for freedom, they fled their residential planet. The price of their liberty was uncertainty.

 

It became apparent that their lack of planning would be a hindrance. From their first flight it was obvious that Isobel, though a decent pilot, lacked the training necessary to make the journey comfortable and easy. Max spent his first trip aboard the Serenity trying to keep the contents of his stomach in; his knuckles went white from holding on for balance.

 

“We need a real pilot” Max said, exasperated after the ship touched down violently.

 

“I’m trying not to be insulted,” Isobel replied, leaning back in her chair with a scowl on her face, “what we really need, first-of-all, is a mechanic.” She said pointedly. She demonstrated her argument by trying to restart the ship, and getting a groan from the engines in response. The Serenity wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon.

 

Fortunately the planet they had landed on, Winath, was a small junkyard planet. Mechanics and materials were in abundance all over. Venturing out of the grubby, spacious cargo bay of the Serenity, Max and Isobel began a trek to the nearest town.

 

The journey took two hours, and it didn’t occur to the siblings that they had no way of paying a mechanic should they even find one.

 

Reaching a dismal, bare ghosttown, Max suggested they hit up the local bar and ask around for help there. The bartender laughed in their face.

 

“You want someone to fix your ship for free?” the gruff man barked out. “Does this look like a charity to you?”

 

“We’re really desperate, we’re wanted by the Alliance” Isobel pleaded. The bartender was about to start ranting again when a voice from the dark corner of the bar spoke up.

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

Max and Isobel looked over. The guy who spoke looked around their ages, with a mess of curls sticking out under a Stetson. Three empty bottles of beer sat on the table in front of him, and he held another, half-full, in his hand.

 

The bartender rolled his eyes, “of course you’d take up a stupid offer like this, Guerin.”

 

With a smirk, the man stood up, walked over to Isobel and Max, and stuck his hand out.

 

“Name’s Michael Guerin,” he greeted, “and any enemy of the Alliance is a friend of mine.”

 

Michael quickly became like family. In return for him doing initial repairs on the ship, Max and Isobel offered to drop him off at anywhere he wanted. But Michael never gave them a place, and within a few months it was clear his position as the ship’s mechanic would be permanent.

 

Over the first few weeks of Michael being aboard, Max and Isobel managed to learn part of his story. He had been a refugee from a planet decimated early in the Unification War, travelling to Winath as a stowaway on an Alliance ship at the age of 14. Michael taught himself mechanics and worked for a dangerous bandit who stole and resold small space vessels.

 

Max couldn’t help notice how sad Michael always seemed. He was closed-off and reclusive, spending most of his time aboard the Serenity alone. The guy had a history he wasn’t proud of, that much was clear. Still, he was a good person, and Max and Isobel both trusted him deeply. Michael became like a brother to them, and they both wished he could find something, or someone, that would make him happy.

 

For two years it was just the three of them, travelling through space, salvaging goods from wrecks they come across and giving rides to strangers. Isobel’s piloting improved, though she still couldn’t pull of some tricky maneuvers.  Sometimes they would pick up people they met in bars for one night stand, but they never got attached.

 

The crew grew by two members when stopping for supplies on Naltor-3. A run-in with a gang that the Serenity squad had formed a rivalry with led to Max, Isobel and Michael being daringly rescued by two young women with powerful, homemade gravity weapons. The girls introduced themselves as Maria and Liz. While Michael and Maria talked tech, Liz explained her situation to Max and Isobel.

 

Liz had been a scientist for the Alliance, but defected when she realised her work was being used unethically. She met Maria when she moved to Naltor-3, and the two worked together as vigilantes, rebelling against the Alliance and doing what they could to protect the innocent. But they had been ratted out by someone they thought was an ally, and were on the run from the police, and desperately needed to get off the planet. The siblings discussed amongst themselves, and decided they could do with a weapons technician and a scientist on their crew, and invited Maria and Liz aboard the Serenity.

 

Next came Kyle, who joined when Isobel was seriously injured after an accident involving beast-like animals on one of the moons of Braal Prime. Liz told them about a doctor she knew who lived nearby. Kyle Valenti was a very talented doctor, who helped Isobel without question. But when he offered to stay aboard the Serenity, and act as their full-time medical aid, Max was sceptical. Kyle had ties to the Alliance, his mother being a significant figure among their ranks. They were, however, in desperate need of an onboard doctor, so Isobel, Maria and Liz talked the captain into letting him stay. Tension remained high between Max and Kyle, until Kyle proved his worth in a showdown on planet Bgztl. He and Max continued to bicker, but it became friendly and sarcastic.

 

Alex Manes was the newby. A former soldier of the Alliance, discharged after an injury that cost him a leg, turned talented and loyal pilot of the Serenity. The Serenity crew met Alex when they touched down crudely on Durlan in dire need of some maintenance. The crew found themselves nearer to an Alliance outpost than they wanted to be, and were anxious to get the ship back off the ground before they ran into trouble. By then, the Serenity’s reputation had spread. They were a gang of troublemakers, or a force of resistance to fascism, depending on who you asked. Alex saw them as the latter. The ex-Alliance pilot practically begged for a job on the Serenity, desperate to get away from his high-ranking Alliance-officer father’s grip.

 

Max let Alex join, despite his mistrust of anyone associated with the Alliance, and put him to work cleaning the Serenity inside and out. It became apparent quickly that Alex was loyal to the crew, and wasn’t working as an Alliance spy. When Max decided he could trust Alex, he promoted him from cleaner to pilot. Alex’s years of training and experience in flying a multitude of spaceship classes, including fireflies, meant he was perfect for the job. Isobel was happy to give up her job of piloting the Serenity, and landings and take offs became a lot smoother immediately.

 

What surprised Max most about Alex’s newfound place on the crew, though, was how much Michael had changed since he joined. In only two months of Alex being aboard the Serenity, Max noticed Michael spending more time in common spaces, and less time alone. Before, when the rest of the crew would sit together for meals, Michael would usually disappear to his room to eat. But more and more frequently, Michael was sitting down for dinner at the Serenity’s makeshift dining table, always next to Alex, and joining in the group banter.

 

Max didn’t know the ins-and-outs of whatever relationship Alex and Michael had, but he could recall the moment he realised there was _something_ between the two.

 

They had landed on Xanthu to make a sale of some salvaged scraps and make a few minor repairs to the Serenity. Isobel, Liz and Kyle had left to make the transaction and Max was keeping Maria company while she did some maintenance in the ship’s engine.

 

“We’re gonna need a new pressure regulator,” Maria explained, wiping a grease-covered hand across her forehead, “I think I saw one in the cargo bay yesterday.”

 

“Okay.” Max replied. Maria rolled her eyes at him and gestured at him to leave. The fact that Max was the Captain didn’t seem to bother Maria. “Oh right,” Max nodded, standing up, “I’ll go get that part for you.”

 

Max made his way quickly to the cargo bay, but once he got to the mezzanine he paused, hearing quiet talking from down the stairs.

 

“I think…. Rimbor,” Alex’s voice echoed gently off the metal walls, “that’s where I’d stay, if I had to.”

 

“Not sure if that’d go down, the locals there hate us.” Michael responded, voice equally as soft, “after that bar fight I got us all into, I mean.”

 

“You were defending my honour,” Alex said.

 

Max peered over the railing to the lower floor of the cargo bay, what he saw he couldn’t have predicted, but didn’t come as all that much a surprise. Michael was sitting on the floor, legs outstretched, leaning against a stack of heavy boxes, a handful of tools and spare parts were strewn across the floor nearby. Alex lay on the ground between Michael’s legs, his head resting on one of his thighs. The two men were looking at each other with affectionate smiles on their faces. Max felt guilty for intruding on a private moment, but he also couldn’t tear his eyes away. It was silent for a few moments, before Michael spoke up again.

 

“You know where I’d stay?” He asked, brushing a hand through Alex’s hair.

 

“Where?” Alex said, pulling himself up into a sitting position and leaning back against Michael’s chest.

 

“Right here.” Michael answered. At Alex’s confused expression he continued, “here, now. Like this, with you.”

 

Alex shifted around to face Michael and for a moment Max could see the fondness in his eyes. Alex raised his arms and wrapped them around Michael’s neck, before both men leaned toward each other to share a tender kiss.

 

Max stood up, quietly as he could, and snuck back out of the cargo bay. Maria’s pressure regulator would just have to wait.

 

From that point onward, Max noticed all of Michael and Alex’s interactions more. The way they always stood next to each other at team meetings, the backs of their hands brushing as they hung by their sides. How Michael would walk slower so Alex, with his crutch and prosthetic leg, could keep up and wouldn’t feel left behind. How Alex often opted to stay behind while Michael did maintenance on the ship, rather than going out exploring with the rest of the crew. They way they would sometimes glance at each other across the room, with gentle smirks on their faces, sharing an inside joke at the expense of the other crew members.

 

It also answered the question as to why some nights, when Max couldn’t sleep, haunted by memories of the Unification War, he could hear noises. Footsteps, and the soft thud of a crutch, moving down the hall between Alex and Michael’s sleeping quarters.

 

Max never thought of asking either man about it, nor did he let himself wonder if the rest of the crew knew. It wasn’t his place. But he was glad they both seemed to be happy. Plus, if Max was being honest, he felt a sense of pride about the two of them being so in love. They were his crew. If he hadn’t bought the Serenity, and recruited this group of misfits despite his fears and doubts, the two would never have met, and that would have been an awful shame.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the planet names came from Legion of Superheroes comics because I have no originality.  
> It's actually been several years since I've watched Firefly, so I apologies to any die-hard fans if I've got any details wrong.
> 
> Find me on tumblr: aliencowboys.tumblr.com


	2. Kyle's POV

Kyle used to pride himself on his preparedness. Always carrying medical and emergency supplies, head full of plans for every scenario. Joining the Serenity put all that preparation to waste. Sure, he still carried a first aid kit, safety equipment, tools and spares of everything in his bag, but more and more he relied on improvisation and flexibility. Nothing at all could have prepared Kyle for the wild, reckless life as a space-bound cowboy.

Take the time the Serenity crew went to Ares, for example.

It was just supposed to be a casual trade with some local merchants - scrap metal for fuel. The trade went successfully, and the crew went for drinks after. Unfortunately, someone in the dingy bar must have recognised them from the numerous wanted posters going around, and alerted Alliance authorities.

Next thing Kyle knew, they were all running for their lives.

“So much for a relaxing drink!” Maria shouted as they ran back to the Serenity. They had landed near the rendezvous point for the trade and the bar had been a decent walk away.

While the gentle stroll from the ship to the bar had been relaxing and tranquil, being chased back by armed purple bellies was less joyful.

The crew ran until they reached a small junkyard, where they climbed over the chain link fence and ducked behind a stack of crushed vehicles. They could see Serenity parked not far away, but the Alliance soldiers were gaining on them.

Max did a headcount and came up short. “Crap! Where are Michael and Alex?!” He shouted, voice strained.

Kyle peeked out from their hiding place and saw the two men in question moving toward the junkyard, their pursuers not far behind. Michael held Alex’s hand, helping him balance as he awkwardly limp-ran. A wave of guilt passed over Kyle, and he saw it in Max, Isobel, Liz and Maria’s faces too when he looked back at them. They all knew Alex couldn’t run as fast as them, yet in the heat of the moment had neglected to ensure he was keeping up. Michael was the only one who slowed to help Alex.

As the pair reached the junkyard, Liz stood up shouted, “Alex! Michael! Over here!” They turned toward the noise and saw her waving.

Kyle could see Michael say something to Alex as he pulled the man toward the fence. Alex looked like he wanted to protest, but at the look Michael gave him he sighed, dropped his crutch, and began climbing. Michael stood below helping Alex up as he slowly scaled the fence, careful with the placement of his prosthetic leg. Michael didn’t start climbing until Alex had made it to the top and started over the other side.

Michael was halfway up the fence when Kyle saw the Alliance soldiers come into view. Max clearly saw them to, because he screamed “Michael watch out!”

Kyle watched, helpless, as Michael turned and saw one of the Alliance soldiers raise his stun gun.

The next few moment passed in seeming slow-motion. The sound of the stun gun being discharged. Michael falling from the fence. Alex climbing down from other side of the fence, turning, and seeing his lover on the ground. Max and Maria, charging out with weapons drawn at the soldiers. Liz and Isobel shouting something about looking for another way out.

Unarmed, Kyle ran out toward the fence, hoping to be shielded by Max and Maria’s fire. He reached Alex, who was standing, staring at Michael, frozen and repeatedly mumbling “it’s happening again.”

“Alex,” Kyle said, voice gentle but firm, snatching the man’s attention, “Michael’s fine. I’m gonna help him. I need you to get cover behind that junk pile. Can you get yourself there?”

Alex nodded absentmindedly but made no attempt to move. His eyes wandered back to Michael.

“Alex, I’m going to help him.” Kyle repeated, recognising the signs of shock. He didn’t know much about Alex’s past in the Alliance military, but figured he must have some sort of PTSD that was being triggered. “He’s not dead. He’s stunned. I need you to go protect yourself, and I’ll help him. I’ll bring him back to you.”

At that, Alex’s eyes locked with Kyle’s. The pilot nodded, more surely this time, and turned to limp toward the hiding place.

Kyle sighed in relief and kneeled down next the fence where Michael had fallen. Max and Maria were good shots, and had managed to take down several of the purple bellies. The rest were retreating while they called for reinforcement. The brief relapse in weapon fire allowed Kyle time to pull a pair of wire cutters from the pack he carried, and begin cutting a gap in the fence.

Once the hole was big enough, Kyle crawled through and dragged Michael’s unconscious body back to the other side. Though he tried to be gentle, speed was key and Kyle promised himself he’d apologise to Michael for being rough later. He checked the mechanic’s vitals, and then called Max to help him carry him back to their hiding place. Once they were behind the junk pile, Liz and Isobel told them they had found another way out the junkyard that would lead them almost directly to the ship.

Kyle credited prayer and Maria’s killer aim for getting them back to the Serenity safely. Between Max and Kyle carrying Michael, and Liz having to help Alex walk without his crutch, their movements were slow. By the time they got into the cargo hold, Michael was beginning to come around.

“Alex?” Michael called softly, voice coarse and dazed, as he was placed on a bed in the med-bay.

“I’m here.” Alex said, limping into the room and pushing past Max. He stood beside the bed and picked up Michael’s hand, an easy smile on his face, “we’re safe.” Kyle felt guilty for not checking on Alex again after he sent him off to hide, but clearly the man had recovered from his panic attack.

Michael smiled back at Alex and squeezed his hand. “You’re here” he agreed.

“Not for long, he’s not” Isobel said, leaning into the room, “Alex there are Alliance ships approaching, we need your piloting skills to evade them.”

Alex looked at her, then back at Michael, clearly conflicted.

“Go.” Michael said determinedly, bringing Alex’s hand to his mouth and kissing the back of it. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

Alex bit his lip, but nodded and followed Isobel and Max out of the room and up to the bridge.

Michael kept smiling until Alex was out of the room, then winced in pain, grabbing his arm at the elbow.

“Let me check that.” Kyle stepped toward Michael and gently pulled his hand away from his arm. He realised Michael must have hurt his arm when he fell of the fence. Kyle began gathering a number of medical supplies from various drawers to help him assess the injury. “You didn’t want Alex to know you were injured.” Kyle said, more of a statement than a question.

Michael was silent for a minute before he answered. “He worries,” he said gently, “not just about me. About everyone. Everything.”

“You didn’t want to worry him?” Kyle asked.

“Not when he has a job to do.” Michael forced a laugh, “he needs to be focused on getting us off this planet.”

Kyle stayed silent as he assessed Michael’s injury.

“I don’t ever want to worry him.” Michael continued unprompted, voice barely above a whisper, “he’s been through a lot. I mean, we all have, but Alex has really got the worst of everything. And then he- he keeps going. He’s been fighting all his life, but he doesn’t stop. With his dad, and the Alliance. He could have given up but he never did. He’s so, so brave.”

Kyle was learning more about Alex than he knew before, and he had a feeling Michael wouldn’t tell him any of it if he weren’t still coming down from a stun-gun-daze. “You really love him, don’t you?” Kyle asked carefully.

Michael locked eyes with Kyle and nodded, “I really do.”

Kyle nodded. “Have you told him?”

Michael shifted his eyes downward and twitched awkwardly, wincing when it moved his arm. Kyle realised it was time to drop the subject.

“Well, your arm is just sprained. I’ll bandage it up for support, and you need to be gentle with it a few days, but it should come right on it’s own.”

* * *

 

Later that evening, Kyle went looking for Michael to offer him some pain medication for his injured arm. He checked Michael’s room first, then Alex’s, but found them both empty.

Next he went to the bridge, where he found Maria and Isobel. The two women were laughing, sitting at the control console, surrounded by empty beer bottles while Maria read Isobel’s palm. Kyle was thankful the Serenity was parked on one of the three moons of Beylix, because though Isobel was sitting in the pilot’s seat, she was way too drunk to fly.

Kyle cleared his throat to grab their attention. “Either of you two seen Michael?” he asked.

“Yeah I’ve seen him,” Isobel giggled, raising her hand “he’s about this tall, curly hair, usually accompanied by Alex.” She laughed like it was the funniest joke every made.

Kyle rolled his eyes, “okay, very helpful. Thanks for nothing.”

As Kyle turned to leave Maria called out, “I think he’s in the observation lounge.” She pointed to the other doorway.

Kyle nodded his thanks, then walked past Maria to where she pointed.

Kyle closed the door behind him softly, not wanting to interrupt the serene atmosphere of the observation lounge. On the opposite side of the room, Alex’s prosthetic and spare crutch were lying on the ground next to where Michael and Alex were curled up on a sofa. Michael was lying most of the way down, with just his shoulders propped up on the back of the sofa. Alex was lying with his head on Michael’s stomach. At first glance, they both appeared to be asleep, so Kyle turned to leave. He froze when he heard Alex scream out in fear.

Kyle turned sharply and was about to run over to help when Michael, who hadn’t been asleep after all, caught his eye and shook his head at him. Kyle stopped in his tracks and just watched.

Michael wrapped his good arm gently around Alex’s shoulders as he began shifting frantically in his sleep.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Michael was whispering, “I’m here. We’re safe.”

Kyle wanted to leave, sure Alex wouldn’t want him to see him so vulnerable. But he needed to give Michael his pain meds, or at least that was the excuse he allowed himself to justify intruding on a private moment.

Michael’s repeated mantra of safety eventually seemed to make it to Alex’s mind, and the pilot stilled and opened his eyes slowly.

Kyle ducked out of view, allowing Alex at least the illusion of privacy. From where he was, though, Kyle could still see the two men interact.

The room remained still and silent, save for Alex’s laboured breaths, for several minutes.

“Sorry.” Alex eventually whispered, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I was already awake,” Michael responded, shifting himself into a more upright position and pulling Alex with him. “Are you okay?”

Alex nodded, “just a nightmare.” He shrugged, but the look on his face gave away that there was nothing ‘just’ about it.

Michael nodded, pulling Alex into his chest and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “You’re the bravest person I know,” he whispered lovingly.

Alex grinned into Michael’s chest, “braver than Captain Max?” he mumbled cheekily before turning around and shifting so he and Michael were shoulder-to-shoulder.

“Oh yeah.” Michael said, “but I might be a little biased.”

“Hmm? Really?” Alex asked sarcastically, “is it because of my mighty a-grade body?”

Michael laughed, “yeah that’s it.” After a pause his voice turned serious, “Plus… I’m not in love with Captain Max.”

Alex stilled beside Michael, his eyes falling to his hands in his lap. When he looked back up, Michael was staring at him attentively. “You mean…” Alex trailed off.

“Alex. I love you.” Michael said, voice barely above a breath.

Alex shifted to face Michael, looking into his eyes. He took a breath, then spoke. “I love you too.”

Michael gave a wobbly grin, his relief palpable even to Kyle, then cupped Alex’s face with his hands and kissed him with everything he had.

Kyle took that as his queue to leave. While both men were distracted, caught up in each other, he silently placed the pain medication on the table in the centre of the room, then snuck back out the door.

Life on the Serenity was wild, wacky and unpredictable. But Kyle realised he was never surprised by Michael and Alex. He could see that the two of them being together was inevitable – so foreseeable one might even call it fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had no beta, so all mistakes are my own.
> 
> Thanks to a comment on the last chapter, I've used actual planet names from Firefly this time. I also tried to integrate a little bit of Firefly slang, hopefully it's not incomprehensible.
> 
> Feedback is very much appreciated!!
> 
> Find me on tumblr @ aliencowboys. I'm open to prompts!


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